Working Together on the Dock
Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima
Skipper: Tim Sowell Admiral Tracy Crew Sean & Alex
Tue 10 Aug 2010 04:54
have loved on a boat since 1998, and everyone who was lived near me had
boats, but they all came from different walks of life. The first place in
Newport I had a teacher (who was looking to retire but never did even when
he won lotto) and a couple who professional photographers, and me that
simple engineer. Each weekend we would all be doing jobs on our boats, and
discussion how to do them and helping each other out with tools advise and
hands. The next dock at Rusty Pelican we had initially 5 boats all big
boats, two were lawyers, one in running Age Nursing homes and a retired
submariner, turn safety consultant, we all had totally different lives and
lived on boats. We lunched together, discussed boat projects gave advise and
for 8 years it was a wonderful community which took an interest in each
other.
Here in the off season the remaining boats we all gather in the late
afternoon for drinks at the pool discuss the jobs of the day again pass
advise, but I was on the docks this afternoon, dismantling the forward
head(toilet) for it's annual clean and service (to really keep a marine head
working which uses salt water for the flush you need to take it apart at
least once a year, and clean, and lubricate, too often people put this off
and you can be sure it will break and then the job is a lot worse, so I have
spent time installing my toilets which I have 2, so I can remove them in 10
minutes from the boat and service them on the dock), while I was sitting in
32 C all the guys around me were doing their jobs. These are crews on the
sports fishing boats also on the dock, we have some to know them (one of
them gave us all the fish yesterday) and they have their music playing
Caribbean music at high decibels coming out of one boat. They are cleaning
the boats, rigging the lines and fixing the fishing gear, yet all the time
talking and joking between them, and trying to sing. I was in the middle of
10 of them, they asked questions on what I was doing, all happy they were
doing their jobs, but next thing we are all singing along and joking.
It's this community you read about in boating, and those who have cruising,
but it is when you are in a community like here where again we have 40 +
boats from the mainly US, Canada staying in one spot for 5 months, and then
the locals we team up with that again there is a friendship, awareness, and
willingness to help, plus the safety feeling. Everyone watches for Sean,
Alex and Tracy around the docks, all ask after them, and when I am doing a
job they always offer to help.
To often when I look back our lives in the cities we get tied up in our own
family worlds, many of the neighborhoods (that I grew up with knowing all
the neighbors around, mainly due to my brother and I kicking balls, or
hitting them over fences) have gone, I suspect in smaller less rushed
environments this may not be the case.
But out here it is wonderful that evening get together (like going to local
pub back in England after dinner, it was like an extension to the lounge
room) the greetings and interest.
Now we have a well running forward head, I will do the aft in a week or so
after our trip inland, but I also took on the washing machine on board. The
washing machine we installed in the boat just before Sean was born, it has
served us well especially when on the dock in Newport, but in the last year
or so it has had issues, and I have become an expert in fixing it. Well 4
months ago the mounts holding the electric motor broke (not the first time,
but here I cannot get spares) so I have taken them off and will try to get
them welded locally. But the washing machine on board is a constant debate
with me, as we use laundries when in towns, (one of the 4 reasons for a
marina is a laundry, the others been running water, wifi, and electricity).
I have got my monies worth out of it, and the space would be great for the
kids bigger toys like bikes, dump trucks etc. But it has saved us a couple
of times this year, so we will try to fix it, if not will make a plan
further down the track.
Just thoughts as the lightening flashes to my right over the coast, and the
rumble of thunder tells us that rain will arrive soon.